Agro-Food Industry as Engine for Growth and Wealth - EMRC

Building business bridges worldwide 

Agro-Food Industry 

as Engine for Growth 

and Wealth 

Results of the AgriBusiness forum 

held in Rome - pp. 4-9 

Interview with Franz Fischler, 

former EU commissioner - p.3 

Special insight on Angolan 

provinces: Cabinda, Bié 

and Benguela - pp. 10-15 

Published quarterly by

Editorial 

Philippe van Maldeghem 

Editor-in-Chief 

The 21st century’s dilemma: 

Food Security vs. Energy Needs 

Upcoming projects this year: 

- DIALOGUES - EMRC 

■ Economic Mission Africa-Israel, Tel-Aviv: 19-23 October 2008 

■ Economic Mission to Bié, Angola: October 2008 

■ Next issue of Dialogues, with special focus on a few Angolan provinces: Autumn 2008 

■ European Development Days, Strasbourg, France: 15-17 November 2008 

■ Economic Mission to Chad: November 2008 

■ Africa Finance and Investment Forum 2008 (AFIF), Paris, France: 7-9 December 2008 

Building business bridges 

worldwide 

Published quarterly 

by 

In theory, food security is a human rights issue, but in practice, it is rather a question of economics. This 

dichotomy applies harshly to developing countries, since their leaders are continuously facing a dilemma 

between economic growth and their people’s welfare. Oil prices have never been so high in the past 

fourty years, thus some governments choose rightly to diversify their energy sources, and venture into 

the “Biofuels leitmotiv”. But unfortunately, some countries refuse to admit it is too soon for them to do 

so. Encouraging biofuels crops in regions where people suffer from hunger can be disastrous in the long 

run, since this incentive will drive farmers to use their land for that purpose only, in search for higher 

returns. One should be careful with this new opportunity, as food and energy are interlinked: an increase 

in fuel and transport costs, devaluation of currencies or market speculation lead inevitably to a rise in 

food prices, ultimately borne by the final customers. Supplies will then decrease accordingly, although 

the demand still remains… 

These critical debates on the world food crisis were addressed last June at the FAO headquarters in Rome, 

which hosted two major events: the first one from FAO’s initiative, a high-level political conference 

linking food scarcity and climate change, and the second one organised by EMRC, the renowned 

“Agribusiness Forum”, gathering businessmen from four different continents. 

In this summer edition, Dialogues will focus on Angola, one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. 

After a long civil war, the country is finally entering a peaceful period and will hold legislative elections in 

September. The Provincial Governments have played a key role in the peace process and in the economic 

development of the country. In this edition we present some of the projects and opportunities in the 

provinces of Cabinda, Benguela and Bié. 

The magazine also presents the outcome of the Agribusiness Forum, where we give the floor to 

personalities presenting their projects, visions and success stories. This is precisely the mission of the 

EMRC network: to give the opportunity for every entrepreneur to show their abilities and opportunities, 

in order to create direct partnerships. To paraphrase the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, during 

the political meeting at FAO, people should leave the conference “with a sense of purpose and mission, 

knowing that we are allied in our determination to make a difference. Hundreds of millions of the world’s 

people expect no less”... 

Publisher: Idit Miller 

Editor-in-Chief: 

Philippe van Maldeghem 

Main contributors: 

Jeanne McCaul, 

Pierre Coetzer 

Designer: Bird 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Communications Officer: 

Seán Kerrigan 

Tel: +32 (0)2 626 15 17 

Fax: +32 (0)2 626 15 16 

Email: sk@emrc.be or 

dialogues@emrc.be 

EMRC International 

Av. Louise, 283/22 

Brussels 1050, Belgium 

Tel: +32 (0)2 626 15 15 

Fax: +32 (0)2 626 15 16 

Email: info@emrc.be 

Website: www.emrc.be 

The views expressed in this issue of Dialogues are the private views of individuals and are not necessarily those of EMRC International, its executive committee, or members of its business 

network. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted, providing that any such reproductions, whether in whole or in part, are not sold, unless they are incorporated in other works. 

I nterview 

Franz Fischler 

Former European Commissioner (1995-2004) 

successively for Agriculture and Fisheries 

“EMRC’s forum is precisely a way to stimulate 

the entrepreneurial behaviour in Africa.” 

■ Dialogues: Given your expertise, what 

is your assessment of the subsidies given to 

EU farmers, which are perceived by African 

farmers as preventing them from competing 

at a fair price? 

Franz Fischler: Firstly, a lot depends on the 

type of subsidies and the way they are given to 

the farmers. The problem is that the European 

Union has been used to giving, in the past, exports 

subsidies, which means that the prices 

on exports get reduced, in order to become 

more competitive. Today it is a huge problem, 

and these practices must be discontinued. I 

personally cannot see this practice go further, 

and I notified all the WTO members, 

together with Pascal Lamy, current Director 

General of the World Trade Organization 

(WTO), saying that Europe is prepared 

to phase out all the subsidies on export. We 

expect others to follow our initiative. 

Secondly, the direct support given to the 

farmers depends on the way it is done by 

the EU. Following the EU’s reform, support 

is given directly to the farmers, and there is 

no link anymore to the product or the production 

process. Therefore, this type of support 

is not distorted by trade or competition. This 

is different from the way the US are supporting 

their farmers. Thus, by non-discriminating, 

we are ahead of the Americans’ practices. 

Then, what the EU has also done is to give its 

support only under certain conditions; among 

the main ones, the farmers must fulfil higher 

environmental standards, higher animal welfare 

standards and higher nutritional standards 

compared to other parts of the world. This is 

the real justification. 

■ Dialogues: In your opinion, what 

measures can the European Commission put 

together to fight against import barriers from 

African countries? 

FF: Truly, international trade requires the use 

of certain minimal standards, as we cannot 

take the risk of importing diseases. If they are 

not fulfilled, neither will you be allowed to 

export, nor will you find any market for your 

product. In my view, this is the area where the 

concept of “Aid for Trade” should take place, 

Rome, June 2008 

which was propagated by Jozef Stiggitz. In 

other words, I think that the industrialized 

world must help the African countries, companies 

and farmers so that they become able to 

fulfil these minimal standards. Therefore our 

standards must be improved, but we must help 

African farmers to implement them. 

Regarding trade barriers, it is a matter of 

fact that in the past, the EU standards were 

seen as a kind of “hidden” trade barrier, and 

we must adapt them. The standards must 

be objective and the same for everybody. 

EMRC’s network forums 

help public and private actors to 

think differently, and take action 

for themselves locally. 

In addition to that, African countries must reflect 

upon the ways that they implement their 

own rules: very often, there is a blockage in 

trade between African countries. We have 

only been recently aware of the fact that when 

countries introduce “export taxes” or “restrictions 

for imports”, at the end, these measures 

could become counter-productive since the 

purpose of offering a sustainable supply of 

food might not be met. 

■ Dialogues: The supply of food is currently 

a worldwide problem. EMRC’s AgriBusiness 

Forum in the FAO headquarters comes in 

line with the FAO Food Crisis summit held at 

the beginning of June in the same premises. 

Since EMRC’s forum puts businessmen and 

thinkers together, what should be achieved 

in order to diminish the impact of this food 

crisis? 

FF: There is a difference between the way we 

handle the present food crisis and what should 

be done in order to reduce the risk of a new 

crisis in the future. On the one hand, about the 

present crisis, the immediate reaction should 

be to increase the amount of money supplied 

by industrialized countries to the UN food 

programmes, since they directly fight against 

the increasing number of malnutrition 

cases. On the other hand, the prospects 

for the future are much more complex. Concepts 

such as “one feeds all” don’t work in 

practice and cannot be adapted to any given 

situation. Tools are often not adapted to their 

specific weather conditions, and we should 

invest in the sectors of research and development. 

People should realize that Agriculture 

has become a “know-how intensive” business. 

Another tool to prevent the crisis should be 

to increase networking co-operation; in other 

words, develop partnerships between private 

actors in the food supply chain, between 

both continents, so they can learn from each 

other. EMRC’s forum is precisely a way to 

stimulate the entrepreneurial behaviour in 

Africa. Besides, a new type of co-operation 

between private and public sectors must be 

found, following the example of the EU 

“twinning projects” developed towards its 

new member states. 

But in general, we should think about ways 

to increase our financial aid, and we could 

consider three approaches: First, the industrialized 

countries should fulfil their promise 

of allowing 0,7% of their GDP to aid and development. 

Second, we should try to reduce 

the risk of a bursting bubble created by the 

speculation on commodities, by introducing a 

“capital transition tax” on these operations. 

Third, we should establish an international 

trading system for CO 2 

certificates. 

Developing countries, which pollute less, 

could sell their rights on CO 2 

emissions to 

industrialized countries, allowing them to use 

such money for their own development. This 

is an innovative way to meet two objectives 

at once. 

In conclusion, we should stop all discussions 

about charity to the developing world, and 

start talking about justice. We have to develop 

a new mentality, and EMRC’s network forums 

are positive in the sense that they help public 

and private actors to think differently, and 

take action for themselves locally. We must 

contribute to help the developing countries get 

the opportunity to speak out and participate in 

the international market economy. ■ 

Quarterly - Summer 2008 -

EMRC AgriBusiness Forum 2008: 

Africa’s private sector has solutions 

to face soaring commodity prices 

and food scarcity 

Agri 

FORUM 

2008 

Business 

Rome, Italy – The EMRC AgriBusiness Forum 2008 (18-20 June), held for the second consecutive 

year at the FAO (UN Food & Agriculture Organization), hosted 185 delegates from 38 countries. 

The international business event 

demonstrated a positive change in 

the African business environment: 

Africa attracts private international investment. 

Entrepreneurs, project owners, international 

investors and agricultural experts showcased 

practical business solutions for Africa’s food 

industry and agriculture. A major result of the 

forum was the Western entrepreneurs’ confirmation 

to invest in Africa, establish plants and 

take financial risks. The best initiatives and 

projects were awarded with the EMRC Awards 

for their leadership in promoting Africa’s 

AgriBusiness development. 

EMRC expresses its gratitude to the sponsors 

at this year’s event: Olam, FARA, Monsanto, 

Diageo, Progis, Heineken, Rabobank, 

Infoterra and Africa Invest, who joined forces 

in promoting a stronger collaboration in the 

The Project Incubator Award 

To encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in 

Africa, EMRC initiated the “Project Incubator Award” 

for the presentation of the best project in economic 

and social terms. At the presentation of the award, 

Pierre Van Helder, President of the jury and Managing 

Director of the Rabobank Foundation, announced that 

the Foundation will finance a $10.000 prize for the next 

winner of the award. 

Winners of the “Project Incubator 

Award”: Adries Mukashema & Michelle 

Shilling of CGIS, Rwanda. 

The project consists of developing and providing models of assistance in the traceability and 

the marketing of coffee, based on the Geographical Information Systems. This will improve the 

living conditions of the local populations and will contribute to the economic growth. 

Two other projects were amongst the finalists: 

Jeff Kalembe- Cropserve, Zambia 

Cropserve Zambia is an agro-chemical company which has been operating in Zambia 

for 15 years. Cropserve introduced a project on the control of weeds. 

Thomas ROETTGEN- MGF and the Palm Oil Project, Ghana 

A project established to optimise the production of palm oil. The project envisages 

the construction of 20 decentralized mills. Part of the produced palm oil is used in 

a generator plant, providing electricity neutral in CO 2 

emissions. 

private sector in developing countries. 

Special thanks go to the FAO for their continued 

support and partnership during the preparation 

of the forum and to the supporting organisations: 

Winrock International, IFAD, OECD, 

The Earth Institute of the Columbia University, 

CTA and the Ecosocial Forum Europe. 

The Key Speakers 

underline the 

pressing issues 

The opening of the forum was preceded 

by an informative workshop 

on “Innovation Strategies & Regional 

Innovation Systems”, led 

by Ilan Bijaoui, director of the 

International Innovation and 

Business Institute in Israel. 

The official opening of 

AgriBusiness 2008 was 

marked with speeches from 

Pierre Mathijsen, president 

of EMRC International, 

former Director General at 

the European Commission 

and James Butler, Deputy 

Director General of the 

FAO, focusing on the importance 

of PPPs. 

Mr Butler also highlighted 

the benefit of summit 

meetings stating that 

“EMRC’s Forum provides 

an excellent platform to exchange 

ideas and better practices”. 

The Keynote Speaker at the forum 

was Franz Fischler, President 

of the Ecosocial Forum Europe and 

European Commissioner for Agricultural 

and Rural Development from 

1995 to 2004. Mr Fischler emphasised 

the need for further international coopera- 

tion if key challenges were to be successfully 

addressed. During the three day forum a wide 

range of successful business initiatives were 

presented as examples of an expanding environment 

of sustainable development in Africa. 

Specific sessions on Public-Private Partnerships 

highlighted the benefit of PPP’s as a vital 

platform that can be applied in a variety of 

fields such as research, the development of 

infrastructure and training. 

Further presentations and discussions were 

held on investment and research in the 

African Agro-Food industry, the growing role 

of research and innovation in African agriculture 

and wealth creation through the agricultural 

sector. Specific projects and success 

stories were also presented as concrete proof 

that the agriculture sector in Africa is now a 

viable investment opportunity for foreign 

businesses. 

Throughout the forum sessions, delegates 

were also given the valuable opportunity to 

have one-on-one meetings thus enabling solid 

contacts and partnerships to be formed. 

Forums play a crucial role 

in furthering cooperation 

and development 

Andrew Maiyo from the Kenya Bureau of 

Standards said his attendance at the forum had 

been very beneficial: “EMRC is one of the 

most important organisations in developing 

networks for Africa with development partners 

and business people.” 

A belief echoed by the Managing Director 

of EMRC, Idit Miller, who summarised the 

forum saying that “there is not a lack of money 

in Africa, what’s lacking are the projects 

and the partnerships, that we must promote, 

so that economic profit and social benefit go 

hand in hand.” ■ 

Prizes winners 

EMRC Awards 2008: 

A vital moment of the forum was the gala dinner, where 

individuals were honoured for their achievements in Africa’s 

economic development. 

■ Adries Mukashema & Michelle Shilling, 

GCIS, Rwanda. For innovative use of satellites 

in the cultivation of coffee. 

■ Mamadou Djite, Agral Export, Senegal. An 

export success story, facilitated by the EMRC 

network. 

■ Monty Jones, FARA, Ghana. Successfully 

developed new agro-products specifically 

adapted to the African market. 

■ John Mbonu, Sierra Leone Breweries. 

Moved to introduce local ingredients rather 

than relying on imported ones. 

■ Sam Egwu, Former Governor of Ebonyi 

State, Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the 

development of financial facilities for farmers. 

■ Baba Yusuf, NEXIM Bank Nigeria. For successfully 

encouraging export-import activities. 

■ Jon Maguire, Africa Invest. Recognised 

for investing in one of the poorest African 

countries and for developing an important 

agricultural project. 

■ Peter Makanjuola, Chairman, House Committee 

on Agriculture, the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria. Received the Award as an encouragement 

to the Nigerian Government to pursue its 

agricultural development policy. 

■ Erelu Obada, Deputy Governor of Osun 

State, Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the 

state’s efforts to stimulate the financial facilities 

offered to farmers. 

■ Dimiji Bankole, Speaker of the House of 

Representatives of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria. Received the Award for the efforts 

made to reinforce the legislation in favour of 

the less favoured populations. 



Export rather than 

import! 

A message from Monty Jones, Executive 

Director of FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research 

in Africa) 

“Africa is today in a very difficult 

situation”, says Monty 

Jones, Executive Director of 

FARA. “The poorest countries in 

the world are in Africa and unfortunately 

we are not producing 

enough food to feed our people. 

And now global food shortages 

are forcing prices up leading to 

demonstrations and even riots. 

The present crisis is the outcome 

of many interlinked factors. 

The traditional low-input lowoutput 

farming systems and acquired 

preferences for imported 

foods combine to create local 

food deficits. This has left Africa 

very vulnerable to the impacts of 

rising energy costs. Since oil prices 

are predicted to stay high we have 

to act very fast to avoid famine. 

We must make food production 

for local consumption an immediate 

priority. 

In addition to increasing food 

production, African countries, 

with the potential to produce 

biofuels, will seek to do so for 

import substitution and to earn 

foreign exchange. My feeling is 

that those countries that wish to 

produce biofuels should do so, on 

condition that they have examined 

all the trade offs and potential 

for unintended consequences 

very carefully and that the decisions 

are made transparently with 

the involvement of the affected 

communities. 

In addition to Biofuels, the 

rising demand for food makes 

every crop a potential export commodity. 

To take advantage of this 

we need to improve our production 

methods to produce higher 

and more profitable yields. We 

also need to improve our market 

infrastructure and information 

systems so that producers are 

better and more efficiently connected 

to markets. 

National governments have a 

major responsibility for creating 

policy environments that are attractive 

to investors. In the last 

5 years Africa has taken major 

strides in establishing continental 

and regional frameworks to support 

national efforts. AU-NEPAD 

has developed the Comprehensive 

Africa Agriculture Development 

Programme (CAADP). 

FARA, which is responsible for 

leading CAADP’s agricultural 

research pillar, has a comprehensive 

set of five Networking Support 

Functions; advocacy and resource 

mobilisation; information 

and technology dissemination, 

policies and markets, capacity 

strengthening; and partnerships 

and strategic alliances which 

exemplify, in practical terms, the 

spirit of partnership involving all 

institutions. This is also demonstrated 

by the EMRC which is 

making a major contribution to 

partnerships across the board”. 

Dr Jones is confident that Africa 

can achieve its agricultural development 

goals, which would 

improve the livelihoods of over 

60% of African labour. If this sector 

improves, it will be the driving 

force for all the other sectors 

of the economy and lead to more 

equitable and healthier societies. 

■ 

Confidence transforms 

The Heineken experience 

The Heineken group brews over 

170 international premium, regional, 

local and speciality beers 

and ciders and is one of the 

world’s leading brewers in terms 

of sales volume and profitability. 

The group is also a leader in terms 

of social accountability. Heineken 

requires all of its operating companies 

to implement a specially 

developed program to combat 

corruption, child labour, sexual 

harassment, discrimination and 

the spread of HIV/AIDS. 

It has a long-standing presence in 

Africa, where increasing purchasing 

power has made beer more affordable. 

Heineken began operations 

in Sierra Leone in 1962 but 

had to suspend its activity during 

the civil war, re-opening again in 

2000. Since the brewery’s installations 

and infrastructure were 

completely destroyed, an investment 

of €20 million was pumped 

into the Sierra Leone Brewery 

Ltd, (SLBL) by the joint shareholders 

Heineken and Diageo to 

get the business running again. 

“Heineken is one of the few foreign 

companies that demonstrated 

the necessary confidence to re-invest 

in the local economy”, says 

John Mbonu, General Manager of 

SLBL. “Several major tobacco, 

pharmaceutical and confectionary 

concerns who were here when 

the going was good, have not returned”. 

To reduce its dependency on 

imported raw materials, SLBL 

initiated a project for the development 

of sorghum cultivation in 

collaboration with the European 

Cooperative for Rural Development 

(EUCORD). 

“It may have been easier to find 

major farming consortiums to 

invest in large scale mechanised 

grain farming, but preference was 

given to small-holder farmers. 

Today the 3,500 local farmers and 

co-operatives provide 45% of the 

brewery’s needs”, says Mbonu. 

“We are also investing in a cleaning 

and milling plant for processing 

the sorghum and are able to 

send our employees to nearby 

Nigeria for training instead of 

Europe. I have been with 

Heineken for many years and can 

truly say that seeing this transformation, 

and the impact on the 

community, makes me feel very 

happy.” ■ 

Diageo: Labor, grains 

and water 

Diageo is the world’s leading 

premium drinks business, offering 

an impressive range of beverages 

available worldwide. The 

company employs over 23.000 

people worldwide with offices 

in 80 countries and a trading 

presence in 180. 

Diageo is active in brewing and 

distilling in the majority of sub- 

Saharan African countries and 

Nigeria has become the second 

largest market for Guinness 

worldwide. Diageo Africa region 

is responsible for nearly 

one third of Diageo’s net sales 

of beer globally and its 4.000 

employees represent 20% of the 

global workforce. 

As a business that relies heavily 

on agricultural inputs and is committed 

to the growth of wealth in 

Africa, Diageo seeks to expand 

the link between agriculture and 

development, recognizing that 

agriculture can provide opportunities 

to address extreme poverty 

in Africa. The company is 

involved in hundreds of community 

activities and strives to create 

mutually fulfilling relationships 

and partnerships. 

The raw materials used in brewing 

include hops, sugar, water 

and rice and especially grains: 

barley, sorghum and maize. In the 

past these were imported, but new 

recipes and seed varieties have 

been developed, enabling the 

use of local barley and sorghum. 

Specific investments ensure access 

to high-yield seeds as well 

as fertilizers and herbicides. The 

grass roots business partners are 

those who need the income most: 

the local small-scale farmers. 

Another area of involvement is 

the supply of water. The Diageo 

program ‘Water of Life’ was 

launched in 2000, focusing on 

the supply of clean drinking water 

to people in Africa. It was accelerated 

in 2006 under the title 

‘1 Million Challenge’ and aims to 

supply one million people annually 

with clean water until 2015. 

In 2007 over 840.000 people benefitted 

from 38 water and sanitation 

projects in Kenya, Uganda, 

Tanzania, Nigeria, Burkino Faso, 

Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana and 

South Africa. The projects are 

based on local needs, low cost 

solutions and available technologies 

and are carried out in close 

collaboration with local governments, 

NGOs and community 

organizations. ■ 

“All is not doom 

and gloom” 

FAO calls for urgent action on 

food security 

“With respect to the present 

international crisis in food supply 

and food prices, it is to the 

credit of the FAO that we alerted 

the world to the need for urgent 

action in June 2007”, says Nick 

Parsons, Director, Communications 

Division of the FAO. “We 

are all the more happy that food 

security was high on the agenda 

at the recent G8 summit in Japan. 

On this occasion Robert 

Zoellich, President of the World 

Bank, stated ‘What we are witnessing 

is not a natural disaster 

– a silent tsunami (…) It is 

a man-made catastrophe and as 

such must be fixed by people’. 

Indeed: people - governments, 

international institutions and 

private enterprises - need to take 

note and take action, get the priorities 

right and make the inevitable 

commitments and investments. 

The challenge is that this is a 

complex issue, requiring solid, 

long term strategies, but the 

good news is that the problem 

can become the solution. Precisely 

because food prices are 

high, this thing can be turned 

around and become an opportunity. 

As we all know, investors 

are attracted to areas where there 

is some guarantee of returns! 

And there is money to be made 

in investments all along the food 

chain – from healthy planting 

material, irrigation and fertilization 

to packaging and distribution. 

We need to be creative, take 

a holistic view of the situation 

and look at what can be gained. 

Despite the urgency, all is certainly 

not doom and gloom”. 

On the issue of local versus 

global markets, the general consensus 

is that in countries where 

there is the most poverty and 

malnutrition, the priority should 

be to improve the livelihood of 

local populations, both rural and 

urban, before looking to export. 

To achieve this, however, more 

investment is needed in storage 

facilities and transport infrastructure. 

The present loss of harvests at 

local and regional levels – up to 

50% in some countries in Africa 

– needs to be turned around. This 

means that local government 

policies should favour these 

areas of development. 

It goes without saying that good 

governance is essential to attract 

private sector investment. Noone 

can be expected to invest 

without assurances that their 

money will reach its destination 

and do the job it is meant 

for! Private Public Partnerships 

bring good results in many cases, 

but partnerships between countries 

also look very promising. 

For instance: between countries 

that have abundant arable land 

but no money and those that 

have no arable land, but strong 

financial resources. 

“Facilitating such partnerships 

is where the EMRC can 

play a key role”, says Mr Parsons. 

“The bottom line is: no 

one country can fix the problem 

alone, but if we tackle this together 

the results can be terrific! 

The international community 

should not see developing countries 

as receivers of charity, but 

as lands of opportunity” ■ 



I nterview 

Mohamadou Bayero Fadil 

CEO Group Fadil, Cameroon 

Rome, June 2008 

From origin to 

customer: Olam, 

a global enterprise 

Established in 1989 and headquartered 

in Singapore, OLAM 

has evolved from a single country, 

single product trader to a 

leading global integrated supply 

chain manager of agricultural 

products and food ingredients. 

The supply chain includes sourcing, 

processing, packaging and 

shipping, marketing and distribution 

as well as risk management 

and training. 

The company presently sources 

14 different products and supplies 

to 4,000 customers in over 

60 destination markets worldwide 

and is constantly on the rise. It is 

directly present in 56 countries, 

22 of them in Africa, where it has 

major investments in agriculture 

and employs a large workforce. 

The products sourced and 

processed by OLAM include 

coffee, cocoa, cashew, sheanuts, 

sesame, rice, different kinds of 

beans (pulses), spices, sugar, 

dairy products, cotton and teak 

wood. 

In addition to providing employment, 

OLAM is committed to 

supporting the community and 

protecting the environment in 

every country where it is present. 

OLAM’s expertise assists farmers 

and collectors to ensure a 

consistent supply of good quality 

produce to the benefit of all parties. 

In developing countries the 

company’s processing activities 

support technology transfer and 

help build local capacity, thereby 

generating higher foreign exchange 

earnings. 

Sustainability initiatives are interwoven 

into the business model 

and aim at making meaningful 

social impact. Stable relationships 

are built up over time with 

the suppliers comprised of smallholder 

farmers, village level 

buying agents and cooperatives. 

OLAM provides micro-financing, 

seed capital for local agents, 

practical and technical support, 

fair and transparent pricing and 

regular market updates. 

It is widely acknowledged that 

profitable market access for developing 

countries is significantly 

reduced by agricultural subsidies 

and protective tariffs. In this context 

OLAM has become actively 

involved in advocacy to achieve 

more open and competitive global 

markets that honour legitimate 

comparative advantages of 

the producing countries in which 

it operates. ■ 

Philippe Castaing, Monsanto: 

“African countries 

should be allowed 

to make their own 

decisions” 

For over 30 years now, Monsanto 

has provided African farmers 

with agricultural products to help 

reduce soil plowing and conservation 

tillage, and limit erosion. 

More recently, the company’s 

focus has been on developing 

conventional seeds, in particular 

cotton and maize, which is 

the continent’s main staple food. 

“We are breeding maize and cotton 

to improve varieties and produce 

better crops every year”, 

says Philippe Castaing, who was 

present at the AgriBusiness Forum 

held in Rome in June this 

year. 

“Even with conventional seeds 

and fertilisers we can quadruple 

yields, as has been the case for 

example in Malawi”. But beyond 

conventional seeds, the future 

lies with biotechnology and the 

development of genes which produce 

drought- and insect-resistant 

varieties of maize and cotton. 

“We certainly do not see biotech 

crops as the answer to everything, 

but rather as a very useful additional 

tool to improve crops and 

provide solutions for the future of 

agriculture”, says Mr Castaing. 

The Water Efficient Maize for 

Africa project (WEMA), for example, 

is about helping to protect 

African farmers against climate 

uncertainty. Its success will have 

a crucial impact on food security 

in Africa. “But, says Mr Castaing, 

we need a regulatory framework 

and the political will to ensure the 

success of biotech crops”. Some 

countries, such as Burkina Faso 

and South Africa, are leading the 

way in this regard. 

“We want to be transparent with 

all stakeholders, including governements 

and NGOs, so that 

everyone can see the results for 

themselves”. Mr Castaing further 

emphasises that Monsanto’s approach 

is not only commercial, 

but also humanitarian. In fact, 

more than a decade ago the company 

took the strategic decision 

to make its knowledge available 

to poor countries, a crucial 

step for the African continent. 

The technology is there, and it’s 

now up to the governements to 

take the ball and run with it, in 

Mr Castaing’s words. ”European 

countries and other stakeholders 

need to allow African countries 

to make their own decisions in 

these matters”. Agriculture is the 

key towards sustainable development 

in Africa. “And Monsanto 

is committed to Africa and its development 

– we’re in for the long 

term and not just about making 

profits”. ■ 

Mohamadou Bayero Fadil holds an MBA 

and has lead the Fadil Group for 15 years. 

The Group is active in: chemical cleaning 

products, agro-industry, tourism and real 

estate. One of Cameroon’s leading industrialists, 

Fadil says that succeeding in the 

business world takes the trinity of hard 

work, courage and sacrifice. 

■ Dialogues: What drove you to choose your 

business activity? 

Mohamadou Fadil: My ambition was to contribute 

modestly to the socio-economic development 

of my country, thus fighting unemployment. 

Thanks to my studies in the US, my 

sense of entrepreneurship led me not only to 

bear risks, but also to overcome the obstacles 

encountered. For a prosperous entrepreneur, 

success is boosted by passion and pleasure. 

The key to success lies in our capacity to resolve 

problems within a reasonable time frame. 

This requires the trinity of hard work, courage 

and sacrifice. In my case, I was lucky that my 

father was an industrialist and with the help 

of other Cameroonian businessmen who 

enormously enhanced my zeal towards entrepreneurship, 

I cultivated certain values, 

like the respect of one’s word, respect of 

engagements and above all a high sense of 

appreciating our environment. With a professional 

experience acquired in major enterprises 

(CCC, SELCAM, Le Meridien), I 

based my philosophy on innovation, which 

is a condition sine qua non for survival and 

development, and a stimulant to competition. 

Thanks to this capacity to constantly 

innovate and improve, coupled with professional 

human resources, our industrial complex 

has become the pride of our nation. 

■ Dialogues: How do you evaluate the importance 

of your personality in your enterprise? 

MBF: I am a guardian of an empire and do 

not spare the road to consolidate the achievements 

of a heritage that is now reaping the 

fruits of rigour and method. Some think that 

I am merciless and severe, but it is not the 

case. The truth is that I am a defender of certain 

virtues such as discipline and know-how. 

The prosperity of an enterprise like ours would 

not be possible without this firmness. It is this 

discipline in management, these qualities of 

responsibility and firmness, which I try to inspire 

in my collaborators since I was called to 

fortify our family heritage in July 1985. This 

responsibility was greatly felt in September 

1993, after the death of the Group’s founder. 

We should observe professionalism instead of 

irresponsibility and easy-goingness, as it has 

always been the driving force of the founding 

father. Having been part of this way of life 

that prohibits all distraction and laissez-faire, 

factors that lead to hard work and creativity, 

I can describe my life with this simple proverb: 

I venture and by that I survive. 

■ Dialogues: What advice would you give 

to a beginner entrepreneur, considering the 

opportunities in your country? 

MBF: He has to strongly believe in his capacity 

and his project; he must be prudent, study 

profoundly the project and the socio-economic 

environment in which he functions and assess 

the cost and expenditures before deciding. 

Once started, he has to be in a position to rapidly 

overcome any difficulties encountered, 

have spontaneous reactions to competition 

and unforeseen market fluctuations, for, in the 

business world, ultra-conservative policies 

and lack of imagination are not pardoned. 

This leads me to tackle the investment opportunities 

in Cameroon and all over Africa. 

All sectors are a priori viable and one just 

needs to be intelligent and dynamic to do 

good business. In the case of Cameroon, the 

environment created by the admission of our 

country into the Highly Indebted and Poor 

Countries (HIPC) initiative, is an opportunity 

to take advantage of. The new Investment 

Charter is apparently indicative of a strong 

government will to build a prosperous and 

competitive economy for the development of 

investment and savings. 

At my level, the Group that I manage is open 

to all initiatives favourable to entrepreneurial 

development. We have often received students 

on internship in all our structures. My advice 

to youngsters is to work as a team and above 

all make sure that they venture into domains 

that are not yet saturated, where there is a market 

demand. 

■ Dialogues: Taking your business experience 

in the agro-industry, what are your 

views on the world food crisis and solutions 

to counter it? 

MBF: Speculation concerns almost all products 

nowadays, affects commodity prices 

and therefore final products; still animal 

husbandry and agriculture generate important 

revenues. However, since Africa 

still cannot meet local needs, I would 

not stimulate the export of some crucial 

products. Therefore, the subsidies given 

to European or American farmers change 

the game of competitiveness and precipitate 

the rise of prices on the international 

market. Limiting the exports will encourage 

national production. Besides, migration 

from urban to rural areas has to be 

encouraged, in order to regain interest 

in the agro-industry. The counter-example is 

unfortunately seen in Angola and Nigeria today, 

especially due to the petroleum industry. 

My message is that my group grows with Cameroon: 

new projects and ideas present so many 

opportunities one should investigate. EMRC 

plays a vital role in counselling and connecting 

businessmen around a theme, and we Africans 

should use this platform in order to go 

further, until projects are submitted positively 

to a banking institution. My suggestion is that 

in order to reach more actors directly related 

to African business issues, EMRC should organize 

such forums on our continent! ■ 



I nterview 

José Amaro Tati 

Governor of the Province of Bié /Angola 

I nterview 

Anibal Lopes Rocha 

Governor of the Province of Cabinda /Angola 

Governor José Amaro Tati is graduate of 

Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias do Huambo 

in Agronomic Engineering. He was Vice 

Minister of Agriculture and later Governor 

of Cabinda. In 2002, José Amaro Tati was 

appointed Governor of Bié. 

■ Dialogues: Since the peace agreement, 

Angola has performed well in rural and 

other areas. Being Governor during the reconstruction 

of the Province of Bié over the 

past years, what perspectives do you have on 

the development of this Region? 

Governor Tati: Bié is a province located 

in the heart of Angola, that suffered greatly 

during the war. It has 

given us many military 

commanders and soldiers 

from both sides 

(MPLA and UNITA). 

The violence of the war 

was very intense in the 

province and devastated 

the region. With the 

arrival of peace (2002) 

we concentrated the reconstruction 

work into 

two major areas. First, 

we removed all human 

bodies around the 

province and built a 

cemetery where we 

buried seven thousand 

bodies. It was a sad 

and nasty operation, 

because we buried parents, 

brothers, sisters, 

children and friends. 

Then, we started with a 

reconstruction program 

of basic infrastructures 

in order to restore the confidence and dignity 

of the population. We are undertaking a strong 

effort in rebuilding public hospitals, schools 

and water supply systems and in reconnecting 

the electricity. Up to now, we feel we have 

achieved major progress. 

Another priority was to revive the private initiative 

and the trade in the region. Small and 

Medium business associations were established 

and they are doing an excellent job with 

the local entrepreneurs. 

But the key factor for the development of the 

Region was peace which was the crucial first 

step as without it people could have many 

things but would not have had any use for 

them. Now, hopefully, peace has definitely 

arrived, allowing us to give dynamism to the 

province. Now, we have the necessary peace 

to think and find solutions to our problems. 

Bié was a province with more than 517,000 

displaced people in 2002. Many people died 

of hunger at that time. 

Initially, help came from the international 

community. Then the effort of our government 

in cooperating with the international community 

resulted in various projects that helped 

City of Kuito, Largo de Independência. Provincial Government Headquarters (right), 

Regional Parliment (centre). 

and impacted directly on the population. Now, 

with the progress of our agricultural sector in 

the province, we are solving some of our principal 

problems. 

■ Dialogues: You have spoken about the 

principal priorities of Education, Health, 

Electricity, Water, and Trade, but could you 

give us specific details of the programmes 

that the province is working on? 

JAT: Agriculture is a priority area. Specific 

projects have been established to redevelop 

the food supply chain. In the field of education 

we created a cohesive taskforce involving 

the population and the government, working 

as a team to address the basic educational 

needs. The government offered to provide 

teachers if communities could build or rebuild 

their schools. At the time we were not sure 

they would be able to do this. But so far the 

program has worked well. We had 150.000 

students just after the peace agreement. After 

five years of peace we have 825.000 students 

and 13.000 teachers. A lot is possible through 

working in cooperation with our population. 

Regarding infrastructure, 

we are giving 

priority to the main 

roads, bridges and 

railways. We currently 

have teams 

working in Benguela, 

Moxico, Humbo and 

Bié in order to connect 

the railway lines 

between theses provinces. 

■ Dialogues: Besides 

agriculture, what are 

the resources that the 

province has to offer 

to private partners 

interested in investing 

in the province? 

JAT: We have metal 

and other rich minerals, 

like diamond 

mining. The government 

has now established 

small diamond 

shops around the region to help prevent the 

illegal diamond market in the province and 

across the borders. 

In addition there are now possibilities to expand 

our agro-food and construction industries 

and the medical sector. With these initiatives 

we hope to be able to offer more employment 

possibilities to our population and to contribute 

effectively to the sustainable development 

of the Region. ■ 

Governor Rocha started his career in municipal 

administration residing for 20 years 

in the province of Zaire, progressing from 

Vice-Governor to Governor. Later, he was 

appointed Governor of Uige, Minister of 

Territorial Administration, and Governor 

of Luanda. He has been leading the province 

of Cabinda for 6 years now. 

■ Dialogues: What improvements in the 

Province of Cabinda would best portray the 

image of a “New Angola”? 

Governor Rocha: Without any doubt, peace 

is a determining factor to the creation of the 

necessary conditions for Angola’s reconstruction, 

so about a year ago, Cabinda reached a 

cease-fire agreement with the FLEC, the separatist 

movement. The national reconstruction 

program launched by President Dos Santos 

five years ago aimed especially at reconstructing 

infrastructures in order to improve the 

population’s living conditions, health, education, 

electricity and water sectors were the 

most critical ones. In particular reference to 

Cabinda, a special biennial program valued at 

around 270 million USD has been implemented. 

As an example, regarding electricity, we 

went from producing 4 to 42 Megawatts, from 

2002 until today. In the case of water supply, 

we went from 180 m 3 a day to 986 m 3 within 

the same period. Regarding infrastructure, the 

airport was transformed in order to increase 

incoming flights from 12 to 78 weekly, and the 

port of Cabinda now receives 2000 containers 

per year instead of 1000 five years ago. There 

were also large investments regarding road access 

to the North and the expressway linking 

Cabinda to Landane is under way. Landane is 

set to become the logistical support area for 

oil companies operating in the province. 

■ Dialogues: What implemented programmes 

would best represent the Province’s 

social responsibility towards its population? 

AR: Large investments have been made in 

the education sector. Besides building schools 

and institutes, we distribute educational material, 

free school lunches to over 100,000 children 

and school uniforms at the beginning of 

the school year, which are made by local textile 

firms. Measures like these have served as 

an incentive to maintain and attract children 

to school. Cabinda was the first province to 

have the largest number of children attending 

school. At the university level, the state-held 

‘Universidade Agostinho Neto’ offers degrees 

linked to educational sciences, economics and 

law. We also have two private universities and 

this year will be the first one to welcome graduates. 

We wish to attract scholars in nearby 

provinces such as Zaire, Uige and, hopefully, 

Luanda. In the health sector we are investing 

in the total modernization of the main hospital 

in Cabinda. We are also consolidating the 

assistance network in the periphery, and have 

even created laundries as well as day-care facilities. 

We have been successfully working 

on specific programmes to fight HIV, tuberculosis 

and leprosy. We also have a program 

which we call “Nossa Aldeia-Nova Imagem” 

(Our Village – New Image), which is composed 

of selling subsidized zinc plates so that 

the population can build homes at moderate 

prices. 

■ Dialogues: What is your vision regarding 

the diversification of Cabinda’s local economy? 

AR: Cabinda is not purely oil & gas. Besides 

our precious wood, which is semi-transformed 

locally so as to value it further and 

also to generate employment, coffee has been 

a great incentive for local producers, as this 

industry was abandoned for over 20 years. 

Today, following Luanda, 

Cabinda is the province 

generating most revenues 

for the government, excluding 

oil & gas. Besides, major 

infrastructure projects 

are on the way to transform 

Cabinda as a hub for the 

region, serving Gabon and 

the Congos. This vision is 

possible today thanks to 

the new airport, the Cabinda-Soyo 

bridge and the 

port. Industry will develop 

thanks to a new factory for 

palm oil production and 

soap or margarine. On another 

level, tourism needs 

to develop through building 

two four-star hotels 

His Excellency the President of the Republic of 

Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos (left) and 

Governor Anibal Rocha on the occasion of the 

50th anniversary of the province of Cabinda. 

and a marina in the Malembo region, so that 

international regattas can also reach Cabinda. 

The province is therefore experiencing great 

developments with high growth indicators and 

with excellent investment conditions.. 

■ Dialogues: With the reconciliation agreement 

signed over a year ago, Cabinda is 

ready for prosperity. What is your strategy to 

attract more foreign investment? 

AR: Today Cabinda shows a fresh new look. 

Improving sanitation conditions and providing 

hospitals with the most modern tools are 

among our priorities. Mortality indicators have 

fallen as a consequence of the efforts. Besides, 

the population is very hospitable and we have 

good conditions to offer to potential investors. 

Through our website, www.gpcabinda.com, 

we offer incentives to support and promote investment. 

For large investments we even offer 

great tax exemptions. Interesting areas to develop 

are transportation, agriculture and construction. 

Building neighborhoods to accommodate 

foreigners and enlarging our airport 

runway to allow larger airplanes to land are 

the next steps in setting Cabinda as an example 

for other provinces throughout Angola. ■ 

Building schools and social housing show 

the provincial government’s commitment 

to social responsibility 

10 - DIALOGUES - EMRC 

Quarterly - Summer 2008 - 11

Cabinda 

One of the most 

exciting investment 

opportunities 

in Africa 

The Angolan province of Cabinda is fast becoming one of the most exciting 

places to invest in Africa. With its peculiar location as an exclave 

tucked between Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of 

Congo, Cabinda stands out among Angola’s 18 provinces: geographically, 

economically, and to a certain extent politically as well. It is one 

of the smaller Angolan provinces, with a land surface of 7,300 km², 

barely 0.6% of Angola’s total land mass. The main city and provincial 

capital, also called Cabinda, is an important port and is strategically 

located within a radius of 450 km from three major African capitals: 

Brazzaville, Kinshasa, and of course Luanda, the national capital of 

Angola. 

The province is subdivided into four municipalities: Cabinda, Cacongo, 

Buco Zau and Belize. The municipality of Cabinda itself is home to 

70% of the population, currently estimated at 275,000 people. 

Cabinda was not spared by Angola’s devastating wars that crippled the 

country’s people, economy and infrastructure for almost three decades. 

But peace has now returned to the province and the rest of the country, 

enabling Angola, for the first time in decades, to focus on economic and 

social development and make full use of its many resources to rebuild 

itself. 

Cabinda is firmly at the forefront of this exciting new dawn. The province 

holds an estimated 60% of Angola’s oil reserves, and currently 

produces around 1 million barrels per day, all of it offshore. It is clear, 

therefore, that oil forms the backbone of Cabinda’s economy and that 

it makes a huge contribution to Angola’s total Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP). And prospects for the future are excellent. New surveys indicate 

that there may be even more onshore than offshore oil in the province, 

and if these findings are confirmed, Cabinda may soon deserve its 

description as the “Kuwait of Africa”. 

The provincial authorities in Cabinda, under the leadership of Governor 

Anibal Lopes Rocha, are determined to use these resources and the oil 

windfall to ensure that economic growth brings social and development 

benefits to all segments of the population. Soon after a peace agreement 

was signed with the independantist FLEC movement in 2004, conditions 

were in place for the governor to announce the start of a Public 

Investment Programme and a Programme of Implementation and Improvement 

of Basic Services to the Population. Three years down the 

line, the results are beginning to be visible on the ground. 

In 2007 alone, the province set aside 219 million dollars to finance 

no less than 112 public works projects in the fields of housing, health 

services, education and transport and communications infrastructure . 

In addition to public initiatives, there is also a clear political will to 

establish long-term partnerships with private companies, especially in 

the oil industry, for the development of the province. As an example of 

such partnerships, the provincial governement signed a protocol with oil 

giant Chevron, for a 20-year economic development program involving 

yearly investments by the company in the fields of public health, education 

and entrepreneurship . 

Several ambitious projects have recently been 

completed, and more are currently ongoing. 

Infrastructure 

A huge effort is under way to rehabilitate 

Cabinda’s basic transport infrastructure. One 

of the first steps in this regard was the completion 

and inauguration of Cabinda’s new international 

airport at the beginning of 2007. It is 

designed to handle regional and international 

flights, and is Angola’s second most important 

airport after Luanda. Authorities were careful, 

however, not to be overly ambitious: at 

this stage, the new airport’s installations can 

handle an average of 300 passengers per hour, 

but expansion is possible if traffic increases as 

expected over the next few years. 

The second large project is the maritime port, 

which is undergoing a significant overhaul: 

no less than 100 million USD have been allocated 

by the central governement for this 

task . This major project, once completed, will 

boost Cabinda’s capacity to handle cargo and 

serve the growing needs of the province, and 

perhaps even more significantly, its hinterland 

in the two Congos, an area with a population 

of more than 8 million. The development of 

Cabinda’s port is therefore likely to have an 

important and positive impact on regional 

economic cooperation. Beyond the port and 

the airport, Cabinda is of course also investing 

major resources in its road network. 

Now that peace has returned to the province, 

free movement of people has been restored 

and the road network is not only being rehabilitated 

but also expanded. International construction 

companies are likely to find a huge 

market in Cabinda in this regard, and the most 

exciting project of all, currently being considered, 

is the building of a massive bridge over 

the mighty Congo River, linking Cabinda 

with the rest of Angolan territory through the 

Democractic Republic of Congo. This billion 

dollar project and its potential meaning for international 

investors will be discussed in more 

detail in the next edition of Dialogues. 

Health, Education 

and Social Projects 

Across the province of Cabinda, new health 

centres, schools and social housing projects 

are appearing. In some cases, projects are 

co-financed with partner countries such as 

China, Cuba and Korea, or through public 

private partnerships (for example involving 

companies such as Chevron, Songangol and 

Daewoo). Cabinda’s two main hospitals were 

renovated and expanded in 2007, and 3 brand 

new health centres were also completed in 

Povo Grande, Necuto and Dinge. 

Similar efforts are seen in the field of education, 

with brand new primary and secondary 

schools having opened in Tando Zinze and 

Buco Zau, and another 500-pupil high school 

in Chiweca. Given the good progress made 

in the field of education, plans are underway 

for a university campus in the province. The 

completion of this project is certain to have a 

very positive impact for investors who will be 

able to tap into a pool of skilled and qualified 

local talent. 

Lastly, housing infrastructure and the general 

improvement of living conditions is also a major 

target for capital investment. In Cabinda 

city, for example, one single project of 250 

houses was completed during last year, and 

across the province improvements are being 

brought to sewage systems, water distribution 

and electrification. 

The way forward 

While oil has been a blessing for Cabinda, the 

province’s decision makers are aware of the 

fact that long-term sustainable development 

will only be ensured through a diversification 

of the economy. Keeping this in mind, the 

authorities are keen to develop opportunities 

in new sectors of the economy, especially 

agriculture and agro-business, fishing, forestry, 

commerce and tourism. In addition to these 

sectors, public works and the infrastructural 

development of the province will of course 

remain a priority for many years to come. 

Investment opportunities abound in all of these 

sectors and given the authorities’commitment 

to development and excellent prospects for 

double-digit economic growth, Cabinda is 

sure to attract much international interest for 

many years to come. 

In the next issue of Dialogues, we will have 

a more detailed look at the exciting opportunities 

presented by all of these sectors. ■ 

“Through its innovative assistance programmes, 

the Province of Cabinda does not leave children 

outside the educational system.” 

– Governor Anibal Rocha 

12 - DIALOGUES - EMRC 

Quarterly - Summer 2008 - 13

I nterview 

Dumilde Rangel 

Governor of the Province of Benguela /Angola 

Governor Rangel graduated from Agostinho Neto’s university in economics, 

accounting and finance. He was the director of a commercial 

company exporting diamonds, oil and coffee until 1987, when he was 

appointed Minister of External Commerce, which later merged with 

the Ministry of Industry. In 1990 he was appointed Governor of the 

Huíla province, and since 1996 he has been Governor of Benguela. 

■ Dialogues: Mainly due to its rich past, the province of Benguela is 

one of the most promising regions in Angola. As Governor of the province, 

what are your priorities at the moment? 

Governor Rangel: The most important projects are the rehabilitation and 

expansion of the Commercial Port of Lobito and the modernisation of the 

Benguela Railway. This 1300 Km railway crosses Africa from the West to 

the East coast through the Republic of Zambia, Democratic Republic of 

Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and South Africa. Its importance 

as an international railway is therefore proven, and we must modernize 

it in order to regain the commercial strength we used to have within 

the SADC region. The government is also working on the reconstruction 

of 1000 Km of roads from Luanda-Lobito-Benguela-Huambo, as well as 

stretches of the Benguela-Lubango and Benguela-Namibe roads. 

Benguela has another program called PIIB (Programa Integrado de Infra-estructuras 

de Benguela), which is due to last for 8 years. It involves 

mainly the modernisation of the water and power supplies, improving 

communications, basic sanitation/drainage, street pavements and 

public gardens. The aim is to improve the overall “look” of the main 

cities within the Province: Benguela, Lobito, Baia Farta and Catumbela. 

As we are getting close to the general elections in Autumn 2008, my 

efforts as Governor are aimed at attracting potential investors to ensure 

the rehabilitation of those significant projects. 

■ Dialogues: Benguela is blessed with a significant hydro-electrical 

potential. How do you intend to develop this area? 

DR: Indeed, it is one of my concerns. I would like to highlight our 

electric facilities, the Catumbela river has sufficient capacity to bear 

the construction of other hydro-electric plants. But besides electricity, 

Benguela has the opportunity to develop the hot springs of Bolongueira 

for therapeutic treatments, therefore developing its tourism, which is 

essentially focused on the beaches like Praia Azul. Talking about that 

prominent sector, I initiated a project to restructure two national hunting 

parks, south of Dombe Grande and 100 km from Benguela city. 

In addition, projects to build six four-star hotels are under way, due to 

Angola’s organisation of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) championship 

of 2010. This should provide a major boost to the province’s 

image. 

■ Dialogues: Regarding agriculture projects, what partnerships 

would you like to promote within our EMRC network? 

DR: Besides relying on a significant fishing industry, Benguela is an 

area with very rich soils for agriculture and livestock farming. Banana 

is one of the strongest products, but there is also a great quantity of 

potato fields. We have developed a partnership with the American 

group Chiquita to farm 3000 hectares of bananas. Here, agriculture is 

developed on three levels. Firstly, at government level, and then on a 

local level, focused on families: the government helps group together 

100 to 200 farming families in order to maximize the productivity of 

the land and make better use of irrigation. It also gives a bull to cover 

traditional cattle, and focuses on research in order to make improvements 

in terms of meat and milk production. The other level has to do 

with the small investors that have farms of about 1000 hectares and 

develop the production of cattle or horticultural projects. In another 

agricultural project, the government gives small investors an 

amount of 25 cows and one bull to make improvements 

in their livestock. At the end of four 

years they have the obligation to 

return those animals to the government, 

which will be given to 

other investors and families. 

■ Dialogues: What you mentioned is part of the DAF Program, 

which started in March of last year, extends over five years and is 

worth 5,5 million USD. What are the future steps on the development 

of the program here in Benguela? 

DR: Our plan is to transform Benguela within the next 3-4 years. If we 

add the program that the Central Government is implementing in the 

field of power generation, this will allow the development of industries. 

Besides the Sonangol refinery and the four cement factories, we are focusing 

on the manufacturing of ceramics. Besides, in the growing food 

industry, fruit and wheat transformation is an important value-added 

activity. We intend to find partners in the fabrication of soft drinks as 

well as fermented drinks. ■ 

14 - DIALOGUES - EMRC Quarterly - Summer 2008 - 15

Financing Business Opportunities 

along the Value Chain 

7-9 December 2008 - Paris, France Africa 

Initiated and organised by: 

Africa as a Key Player 

EMRC Africa Finance & Investment 

Forum 2008 (AFIF) will cover the latest 

trends in Finance and Investment 

throughout Session 1the African Session continent. 2 

Enabling Capacity debates and one-on-one 

Regional 

Building 

Integration and 

tailored business meetings, the forum 

Infrastructures 

will provide an international platform 

for practical discussions and individual 

business solutions. AFIF 2008 will showcase 

some of the best investment opportunities 

in the African continent. 

Session 3 

Science & Technology 

as a mean to attain 

the Millennium 

Development Goals 

The Project Incubator Award: 

Fuel for growth 

To encourage entrepreneurs to initiate 

“bankable” business proposals, 

EMRC recently Session created 3 the “Project 

Incubator Promoting Award” the private which will be bestowed 

on the best project, judged 

sector as a means 

to attain 

on economic 

the Millennium 

and social contributions. 

During Development the Gala Goals Evening of the AFIF 

2008, the Rabobank Foundation will 

offer a prize of 10.000 USD to the winner 

of the “Rabobank-EMRC Project 

Incubator Award”. 

Session 4 

Science & Technology 

for growth and 

competitiveness 

FORUM 

2008 

Session 6 - Investment in Africa: Financing & Funding Opportunities along the Value Chain 

Finance 

Investment 

Who should attend EMRC Africa 

Finance and Investment Forum 2008? 

Those who want to participate in 

strengthening the financial markets in 

Africa and render Session its economy 5 vibrant 

and attractive: Building financial export 

Agri 

experts, investors, 

bankers, company directors, 

capacity Business 

entrepreneurs, FORUM management consultants, 

research 2008 institutions, central 

banks officials, national and regional 

development agencies, governments 

and international organisations. 

For detailed programmes & registration information, 

contact: Ines Bastos 

ib@emrc.be | Tel: + 32 (0) 26 26 15 15 | Fax: +32 (0) 26 26 15 16 | www.emrc.be 

4th Senior Management 

Economic Mission Africa-Israel 

Tel-Aviv, 19-23 October 2008 

2008 

Israel 

The Fourth edition of the Senior 

Management Economic Mission 

Africa-Israel will once again unite public 

and private sector players from Africa 

and Israel, with the aim of promoting 

private sector development, training 

human resources, stimulating access to 

international markets and expanding 

partnership opportunities. 

African delegates that are selected 

to be part of this exclusive Economic 

Mission have a common interest in 

sectors such as agriculture, agroindustry, 

IT, construction and finance. 

They want to identify partners for 

specific projects and share experiences 

and success stories with their Israeli 

counterparts. 

The five day Programme includes: 

• Business Meetings 

• Field Visits to: Kibbutz, Dairy farms, 

Greenhouses, Drip Irrigation and 

Aquaculture Plants 

• Visit to the Holy Sites of Jerusalem 

and Bethlehem

Agro-Food Industry as Engine for Growth and Wealth - EMRC

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